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This book on CD-ROM is a practical guide to astrophotography with digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. It explains how digital cameras work and everything you need to know about how to take astrophotos with them. It also tells you how to process the images after you have shot them, with step-by-step directions that will produce beautiful results.
Beautiful images such as this one of the Big Dipper can easily be taken with DSLR cameras. This is a simple 30 second exposure at f/2.8 at ISO 1600 taken with a DSLR camera mounted on a fixed tripod.
Many people are disappointed when they look through a telescope and see faint deep-sky objects as subtle gray smudges. They don't look anything like the gorgeous pictures they have seen in books and magazines.
These amazing color images are made possible by the magic of long-exposure astrophotography. Besides capturing what you can see visually, astrophotography allows you to take pictures of things that are too faint to be seen, and colors that can not be seen at all. Through digital processing, you can improve the color and contrast, and make these images outstanding!
New DSLR cameras, such as the Nikon D50 and Canon EOS Rebel XT (350D), are now reaching the price point where nearly everyone who has a telescope can afford one. The extremely low-noise properties of this latest generation of DSLR cameras make them ideal for astrophotography.
Beginner astrophotographers often ask how to determine the best ISO and exposure to use for their particular sky conditions at their observing site. This book tells you the answers to these questions plus many others that you haven't even thought to ask yet!
Start out easy with a simple camera on tripod and shoot beautiful scenic shots of the Moon, planets and star trails and constellations. Advance to wide-angle piggyback photography. Master long-exposure deep-sky photography of nebulae and galaxies.
In the image processing chapter, you will learn how to work with simple, easy-to-take JPEG images right out of the camera. You will learn how to remove vignetting, color correct and enhance images, sharpen and reduce noise.
In the advanced image processing section, you will learn how to correctly calibrate raw images with support frames such as dark frames and apply non-linear processing through techniques such as digital development.
These basic and advanced image correction and enhancement techniques can be used with images taken with any DSLR camera.
A Guide to Astrophotography with Digital SLR Cameras is not a traditional paper book. It is a digital book on CD-ROM that you will be able to view on your computer in any internet web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Opera.
It offers unique features such as "mouse-overs", such as in the image above, that allow before and after comparisons of images by simply holding the mouse cursor over the image.
A powerful built-in search engine provides automatic links to the pages containing the search terms./
With this book you will discover how easy it is to: Take beautiful astrophotos with just a simple camera on tripod.
Shoot the Sun, Moon, stars, nebulae, galaxies, and other celestial objects.
Use your DSLR camera to shoot through your telescope.
Determine the correct exposure and ISO to use for astrophotos.
Focus your camera for razor-sharp images.
Take short exposures of faint deep-sky objects and combine them into a longer exposure.
Shoot raw format images and improve them with calibration frames.
Perform brightness, contrast and color correction.
Correct vignetting and uneven field illumination.
Jerry Lodriguss is a professional photographer and expert in Photoshop who has been an astrophotographer for more than 25 years. His articles on Photoshop and digital processing of astrophotos have been published in Sky and Telescope and other magazines, and his astronomical images have appeared in books and magazines throughout the world. His previous highly acclaimed book, Photoshop for Astrophotographers, was named a "Hot Product" by Sky and Telescope magazine when it was published.
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